With 193 crankshaft horsepower and a claimed dry weight of 404 pounds, BMW says the S1000RR has the best power-to-weight ratio of any production bike. And, by the way the S1000 lofts its front wheel onto Portimao’s front straight at 150 mph, we’re becoming believers!

But BMW’s RR isn’t just a monster motor. Turn-in response is brisk, its brakes are ferociously powerful yet provide excellent feedback, and the entire package is remarkably easy to handle for a hyperbike with such elevated capabilities.

BMW has never been afraid of incorporating the latest technologies, and the S1000s we rode were equipped with high-tech features such as traction control, race-level antilock brakes, multi-mode engine tuning selections and BMW’s Gearshift Assistant that allows full-throttle upshifts without backing off the throttle or using the clutch.

What is especially amazing is how BMW has instantly become competitive with Japanese literbikes that have been developed over a decade or more. While we’re not yet prepared to to say the S1000RR can beat the best from Japan and Italy without riding them back to back, we can say with confidence BMW’s RR will give any of its established rivals a run for the money.

BMW has fired a potent salvo into the literbike market, and it will surely shake up the pecking order of its competitors. Check back with Motorcycle.com on Monday for our full report.

During the U.S. intro of the new Concours 14 I had a little chitchat about the ’10 Z with some of my buddies at Kawi. Although I don’t think they’ve seen the attached Euro market video, from what little they told me about the bike’s performance, the opening minutes of this video seem to corroborate what the Kawi staff here said after they rode the bike.

In case you’re not readily familiar with the history of the Z in the U.S., we have it here largely at the behest of management at Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA, as the bike is primarily for the European market. And we only have ourselves to blame. The Z, despite being a sales dominator in Europe, is a sales eliminator in the States.

Nevertheless, Kawasaki U.S. A. has once again gone out on a sales limb and asked that the Z1000 be delivered to America after having seen what the new Z is and what it’s about.

I know there’s a lot of pissing and moaning on the Net about the new style of the Zed (for ma’self, I like it!), but remember that it really isn’t made for us, but for Europe, ‘cause apparently, for some silly reason, we don’t buy naked standards in the same volumes as cruisers and repli-racers.

Stepping down of my soapbox now…

I rather enjoyed the most recent iteration of the Z, so I’m even more geeked to ride the new one. I’ll be slipping ol’ Duke man some sleepy time pills in his Diet Coke just to ensure I get the invite to the U.S. launch of the new Z, and not him.

For youz bitchin’ about the Z’s new colors, turn your head away near the end of the video when a quick glimpse of a secondary Euro color of what looks like a very sultry and subtle deep maroon with a crazy faux snakeskin seat cover. That seat can go in a minute, but the alternate color is sharp!

The world’s first production electric superbike, the Mavizen TTX02, was unveiled on Tuesday. The bike has been nicknamed a ‘laptop on wheels’ and is being produced by TTXGP (Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix) founder Azhar Hussain.

“We are living in a click culture and connectivity is the key, across the board,” says Hussain. “Our approach was to find how we could make a laptop go racing. We think electric vehicles have more in common with consumer electronics than traditional automotive.”

What should make IT people everywhere wet their pants, the TTX02 is the first factory production vehicle to be delivered with a dedicated IP access and connectivity to the network. Each bike can be connected from any browser through an on-board web server and WiFi.

“By building on the open standards of the internet and the PC, we unlock the creativity and lower the costs of innovation for teams, enthusiasts and riders,” says Hussain. “

Azhar Hussain founded TTXGP, the world’s first zero carbon, zero emission motorcycle race which took place at the Isle of Man TT in June this year. The TTX02 is inspired by the winning bike, the Agni X01.

“The limited production bike, the Mavizen TTX02, gives potential participants a chance to acquire a bike that they can develop themselves to make it competitive and unique to them,” says Hussain.

The Mavizen TTX02 uses the rolling chassis of an FIM homologated and road legal bike – the KTM RC8. The bike will be available for delivery in Q1/2010 with a limited production of 50 units. For more information visit Mavizen.com.

Motorcycle.com contributor Tor Sagen was at Mugello in Tuscany and was scheduled to do a few laps on the world-class circuit on the RSV4R, a lower-spec version of the Aprilia RSV4 Factory. Tor reports the engine problems were being attributed to the conrods from the first batch of 50 pre-production engines.

The faulty engines broke down five times as they were being ridden by international motojournalists. Thankfully, none of them crashed or were injured during the incidents. Tor interviewed a motojournalist from the Netherlands who was on the fifth bike that blew.

Here’s his take:

Tor also reports that the problem was isolated to a single, newly produced batch of conrods. The RSV4R uses the same engine configuration as the RSV4 Factory, but the conrods from the faulty batch are not being used in any production models. Aprilia’s quality control team will be extra diligent on any new batches and the final production bikes should be damn near bullet proof.

Thanks for the report, Tor. And we hope you don’t have swine flu.

Official Aprilia RSV4R video:

Related Reading:

2010 Aprilia RSV4R unveiled
Aprilia to debut RSV4R at Imola
2009 Aprilia RSV4 Factory Review
Images in Gallery

Honda’s new VFR1200F in action at Sugo in Japan.

UPDATE: 2010 Honda VFR1200F Review -  First Ride Article

I’m here at the Sugo Sportsland racetrack in Japan, an odd place for what seems to be a sport-touring machine like the new VFR1200F. But my time at Sugo today was one of the most incredible riding experiences of my career.

First off, lets dispel the notion the VFR is a direct competitor to sports tourers like Yamaha’s FJR1300 or the Honda ST1300. It’s lighter and more nimble, with racier ergonomics. It’s also smaller in the flesh than it appears in photographs. More attractive, too.

Duke was mightily impressed with the VFR’s new dual-clutch transmission.

But what blew me away today is the VFR’s dual-clutch transmission. If you’re thinking it might be something akin to the FJR1300AE’s auto transmission, you’d be badly mistaken. The FJR-AE’s shortcoming is its initial response when pulling away from a stop, as a rider is never sure how the auto clutch will come on. No such issue with the VFR. In comparative terms, the FJR-AE’s transmission/clutch is a carburetor to the VFR’s fuel injection.

More amazing, though, is how well the dual-clutch gearbox works in automatic mode. There are hundreds of ways a racetrack can trip up such a system, and I’m thrilled to report no such issues. Leave it in the Sport setting of the automatic mode, and it is both smooth and cooperative, blipping the throttle on downshifts and upshifting near redline.

Check back with us on Monday for a more comprehensive report!

UPDATE: FULL REVIEW HERE!

So much for predictions.

Weather during the month of October in Bologna,Italy, can typically be cold and wet. Indeed, that was exactly the weather we were dealt on the first ride day of the world press launch of the 2010 Ducati Hypermotard 796. Funny thing, though, weather forecasts for the day were boasting of mostly sunny skies and warm, mid-to-upper 70s temps.

The other missed prediction of the day was my anticipating the new Hypermotard to be nothing more than a breathed on Monster 696 mill in Hypermotard 1100 clothing.

Out of seemingly no where a nasty, half-day long storm appeared. Wrath of God kind of stuff. Cold winds drove sheets of rain and littered the tight, winding roads surrounding greater Bologna with soaking wet leaves, pine needles and who knows what else, making for a challenging ride. Eventually, though, skies cleared, temps rose and the roads dried enough to continue taste testing the Hyper 796.

The 796’s air-cooled L-Twin engine employs new, smaller and lighter cases than those used on the Monster 696 accounting for 2.6 lbs weight savings The 796 engine is 4.2 lbs lighter than the littlest Monster’s mill. Also, the new engine employs an 848-style flywheel, and compresses fuel mixture at a ratio of 11.1:1. These and other changes add up for a claimed 81 hp at 8,000 rpm.

The Hypermotard 796 could just be the perfect way to enter the Ducati world for those often dreaming and drooling but never willing to take the leap.

With a tractable powerband, open and upright riding position (a seat 20mm lower than the Hypermotard 1100) and great dual 4-piston radial-mount Brembo brakes, the 796 offers heaps of performance for less than $10,000.

And with the hot-off-the-presses news straight from Ducati of a claimed 51 mpg, this newest Duc might just be the perfect Italian urban assault vehicle.

Look for a fuller review soon.

Grazie, Ducati!

Each oval-shaped piston in the NR500 utilized two connecting rods to support its lengthy cross-section. Eight valves per could flow a lot of air!

The V-4 engine made its first appearance in a Honda streetbike in the 1982 V45 Magna cruiser and V45 Sabre standard, then made a big splash the following year with the debut of the game-changing VF750F Interceptor sportbike. A VF1000F and VF500F Interceptor rounded out the lineup in 1984.

One of the sweetest small-displacement sportbikes ever, the Interceptor 500.

The legendary RC30 sportbike surfaced in 1988 and set new levels for superbike power and handling while the VFR750 evolved into a sporty all-rounder rather than a hardcore sportbike. The sport-touring ST1100 showed up two years later, later transforming into the ST1300 and still with us today.

With the ST1300 and VFR800 Interceptor, Honda has an uninterrupted history with V-4 engines that will expand this fall with the introduction of the highly anticipated VFR1200. Big power and high technology are on the way, including the availability of a dual-clutch gearbox as reported here. We’ll have lots more on the most powerful VFR ever during the next couple of months, so stay tuned.

Related Reading:
VFR800 Interceptor Shootout
ST1300 Shootout

Both versions use a lighter engine crankcase than before, and both have names that suggest a displacement different than what is actually under the tank. The 990R has a 998cc motor, up from the 982cc 989R via a stroke increase and a bore reduction. The larger and more expensive Brutale, the 1090RR, retains the old 1078RR’s 1098cc displacement. According to factory claims, both models have less peak horsepower, but the 989R receives a slight bump in torque. Both models include a traction-control system, and the RR adds features like a slipper clutch, larger brake rotors and forged aluminum wheels.

More info and some early riding impressions from Italy after the jump.

The previous Brutales were massively fun to ride, but their handling qualities bordered on skittish. So MV has given the new versions more sedate chassis specs by lengthening the wheelbase with a longer swingarm and more relaxed steering geometry. Style updates include a new headlight, mirrors with integrated LED turnsignals and a new instrument package. Pricing is typical Italian exotica, with the 990R retailing for $15,000 and the MSRP for the 1090RR set at $18,000.

Our European correspondent, Tor Sagen, is currently testing both Brutales in and around the Misano circuit in Italy, and here are his early impressions:

I have now ridden the two new Brutale models both on the road and on track. I’ve still got more sessions on Misano before I’m done. On the road both bikes have plenty of power and the 1090 RR is one of the best wheelie machines out there as it power wheelies in third gear. Both chassis are composed and stable.

The 1090 RR has got better brakes than the 990 R and a lot more feel. The power band in the 1090 version is also somewhat more pleasing both on the road and on the track and not only because of the extra horsepower. But despite all this the 990 R is still one of the more potent naked streetfighters out there.

Despite the easy wheelies on the road, the Brutale 1090 RR doesn’t wheelie at will out of corners or when hard on the throttle from lower speed. It’s actually very composed and a steering damper keeps the front in check most of the time too.

Turning the bikes hard from left to right on the circuit isn’t the very easiest thing in the world compared to a full on sportsbike. The fuel injection also causes some hiccups here and there both on the road and on the circuit but less so on the latter. The 990 R suffers more than the 1090RR in this area particularly when you want to modulate the throttle from slow to faster.

More to come the full article…